The New Teacher

: Chapter 1:

It's A Girl

Harry boarded the Hogwart's Express with excitement of knowing another year... another adventure. After all...it was his last year. "OH, HARRY!" Someone yelled and jumped on him from behind giving him a hug.

He yelped and nearly was pushed to the ground. "Hermione! I can't breathe!" he gasped. She giggled un-Hermione like and let go. "My, you seem happy," he said as he finally got to glance at her.

"Oh yes! It's so great to see you! By the way, have you seen Ron?" she asked looking around her.

"Can't say I have," Harry mumbled as he saw Ron striding behind Hermione with a finger to his lips indicating for Harry not to tell her. They grinned at each other.

"I wish he was-" she was caught off mid-sentence as Ron encircled her waist with his arm, and twirled her around to face him. She screeched and jumped onto him, kissing Ron straight on the lips. After the new school year greetings were done, they found an empty compartment and sat down talking non-stop about their summer.

"So I see you two have gotten together," Harry asked referring to Ron holding Hermione around the waist and also the kiss from outside. They blushed.

"We meant to tell you, Harry-" but Harry cut Hermione off.

"It's all right. We've been busy all summer, and actually, it's about time you two were together," he grinned at them. They smiled sweetly at each other.

"So...have you two heard who the new teacher is going to be this year?" Harry asked, though he was a bit apprehensive. There wouldn't be just one new teacher...but also a new Headmaster.

"Well, Harry, I don't know," Hermione said, "At the Order meetings they're still not letting us in, but I wonder why because Dumbledore is-" Ron shushed Hermione who turned a brighter color of red than before.

"You shouldn't hush about him. He was a great wizard," Harry said starting to feel a pang of guilt in his stomach. Though it had been over three months since the death of that wonderful wizard, Harry felt so unsure if he really was dead.

"Yeah, why don't we talk about something else, though, eh?" Ron asked as Harry nodded.

Professor McGonagall paced around her new office: the Headmaster's office. The rest of the teachers were sitting in chairs facing her desk, staring at her with the same anxiety.

"Are you absolutely sure she's coming today, Horace?" she asked eyeing Professor Slughorn suspiciously as if he was hiding from her one of her most valuable treasures.

He stood from his chair, "Minerva, will you calm down? She will be here soon...well I mean I hope," he mumbled the last part praying she didn't hear it and they both sat down. After minutes of waiting, McGonagall huffed and stood from her chair pacing around the desk once again taking many glances at the clock above the desk. As if a bomb exploded in the school, a young woman the age of seventeen popped out from the fireplace.

Startled, and yet relieved, McGonagall said, "You made it finally, Miss Whitlock."

The young woman, brushed off her clothes, and with a smile said, "Sorry I'm a bit late, my mother kept begging me to stay at home, but here I am."

"You haven't changed, one bit, my little niece," Slughorn greeted.

"UNCLE HORACE!" she exclaimed and ran into his open arms.

"It's great to see you too, Clarissa."

"Here we are. That was the last time we'll ever ride those carriages again," Hermione said with a hint of sadness in her voice, though Harry knew somehow…deep down inside that it wasn't the last time.

"Let's go find a seat," Ron said and they walked up the stone stairs pushing

and shoving their way through the crowd. They found seats closer to the teacher's

table and as Harry glanced at the chair that once sat Dumbledore, he sighed to

see it was occupied by McGonagall. The first year students then soon made their entry

as usual but followed Filch, the caretaker who displayed a grim look on his face.

"And Filch has never looked any better than usual," Ron joked as Hermione slapped him on the arm, but grinned all the same. Each new student took his or her places at the House they were assigned to by the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall stood from the chair, and all was silent.

"Well it's great to see everyone here for the new year. Welcome to all the new pupils and we hope everyone will enjoy the year. As for Filch, he has told me to warn everyone that the Forbidden Forest is off limits as is all Weasley and Weasley's Items to Make School Life Easier are," Ron and Harry exchanged amused grins before turning their gaze back to McGonagall, "Before we begin I'd like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Whitlock," and she motioned to a young woman, who Harry could have sworn wasn't there before.

Professor Whitlock stood from her seat, and smiled a cheeky smile, which took Harry's breath away; she was beautiful. With long brown hair the reached to her torso and icy blue eyes that entranced all the male population of the school. Her smile brought warmth to Harry and he felt so happy. She sat back down after the applause and the irrational hoots from the males died down as McGonagall clapped her hands.

"I can't believe they have her as our teacher. She looks almost our age if not younger," Hermione huffed.

"Shh, Hermione," Ron said as he stared back at the table as most of the Great Hall did curious as to how in the world a girl got into Hogwarts as a teacher.